<p>I'm not applying to grad school this year, but I'm thinking about applying to statistics PhD programs after working for a couple of years. I took the GRE math subject test in November since a couple of programs I had been looking at required it and others recommended it, so I figured it would be good to get that done with while I'm still in school. I scored in the 63rd percentile, which is kind of blah. I wouldn't think of retaking it were it not for this statement from Harvard's stats admissions FAQs:</p>
<p>"Is the GRE Mathematics Subject Test required?
No, but some faculty do want to see the Math subject test score, although fewer and fewer applicants are taking it. It is strongly recommended to take it only if the applicant is confident of doing very, very well."</p>
<p>Any guesses as to what "very, very well" means here? This is a statistics program, not mathematics, so I would think that the bar for a good score should be a quite a bit lower, but maybe not. I'm not sure if I will end up applying to Harvard or not, but now I'm wondering if I should register to retake the GRE math this April just so that I don't kill my chances at Harvard or other programs because of my mediocre score. Opinions?</p>
<p>In other words, they view the Subject GRE as a method of improving your image if other parts of your application leave something to be desired. If your overall application is strong and well representative of your ability, then just don’t submit your Subject Test scores when you do your ETS score reports if you feel that may devalue you as a candidate.</p>
<p>I personally am not familiar with Mathematics or Statistics Ph.D admissions, but I found this link at Penn’s Math department:</p>
<p>[Graduate</a> program data](<a href=“http://www.math.upenn.edu/grad/graddata.html]Graduate”>http://www.math.upenn.edu/grad/graddata.html)</p>
<p>They mention the average Advanced Math Subject Test of the GRE for their accepted and matriculating Ph.D candidates. Penn is not Harvard in regards to strength of department, but this might give you a good ball park of what is expected since most Ivys try to maintain comparable images/standards.</p>
<p>Sorry to be a bit harsh here, but I know someone who has scored in the 93rd percentile and he still doesn’t think he has a chance for harvard. we’re talking about one of the best graduate schools in math, so when they say very, very well, i’d say you have to score +95th percentile or better.</p>
<p>you have to remember that there are about 15 spots and hundreds and hundreds of applicants.</p>
<p>Although, I don’t know why you would take GRE math subject test if you’re in statistics. How much math do/did you know? For example, I wouldn’t imagine that you would need a lot of abstract algebra, or something like complex analysis.</p>
<p>It sounds like they generally assume the best of applicants who don’t send the Subject test score. Rightly so, because the math test is no more pertinent to stats than the physics test is to engineering. If you don’t want them to see your old subject score, you don’t need to retake - just don’t send them subject scores at all. Don’t be concerned if you had it sent automatically when you registered, because they probably will not keep it on file for next year.</p>
<p>Gotcha, thank you very much everyone for your responses. I have not taken the GRE general yet, but I assume that I can send just the GRE general scores without sending the subject scores, right? Or does ETS send scores from all exams?</p>
<p>hopefullyIvy: You’re talking about Harvard’s math department, though, right? Not their stats department, I hope? I know Harvard math is insane to get into, but also that stats PhD admissions in general are much easier than math PhD admissions. They’re two separate departments. I know mere mortals from my college who went on to some of the top stats and biostats programs in the country, and I think I stack up with them, aside from perhaps the GRE math since I have no idea how they did. I only took the math GRE because a couple of the programs I looked at required it (Stanford, for instance), so it seemed like a good idea to take it now while I still (um, in theory) know calculus and such rather than in a couple years when I apply, when I certainly won’t remember most of the material on the test.</p>
<p>You have the option to select which score types they send out. You can select only General, only Subject, or Both.</p>
<p>In regards to not sending GRE scores, keep this in mind:</p>
<p>If you have A’s as an undergraduate in upper-division/graduate courses at a top-ranked school that is well-known for its math program, then there will be little need to send your GRE Math score, since admissions committees can judge your potential by virtue of the fact that you performed so well in class. However, if you go to a less prestigious institution, your A’s in upper-division courses aren’t as significant, because admissions committees have no ideas how easy or hard your courses really were. My professor who teaches at my liberal arts university said that in his old differential equations class at Rice, he literally taught twice as much information as he does at my own institution. Graduate schools know this, so you need to take (and do well on) the GRE Math as a barometer of your true mathematical knowledge.</p>